Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education

Mecklenburg Votes to Buy Old Collinswood Campus From CMS

Mecklenburg commissioners voted to buy the empty 15-acre Collinswood school campus from CMS for $15 million for parks and housing. A second vote covers an office building CMS says would let Waddell reopen as a full high school.

CMS Renames Its Equity Policy and Drops Race Data Rules, 7-2

Board member Lenora Shipp's motion cited Session Law 2026-41, and no one at the dais mentioned the race data before the vote.

CMS Math 1 Scores Jump; Middle School Reading Barely Moves

CMS students made their biggest Math 1 gain in four years. Middle school reading rose one point, and a board member asked how the district closes a nine-point gap in a year.

Parents Press CMS Board on Phones, Screens and i-Ready

Schools Beyond Screens brought the CMS board a list Tuesday: a bell-to-bell phone ban, a public audit of what the district spends on technology, tighter device controls and evidence that i-Ready works. Celia Kaul, who warned this board in June, came back as a freshman.

CMS Board: Five Asked to Resign, All Five Spoke

A parent read the CMS board a petition she said carries 1,179 signatures calling for five members to resign over the vote that fired Superintendent Crystal Hill. Later, in board reports, all five spoke. None announced a resignation.

SAIL Families Ask CMS Board to Undo the 9:15 Start

Fifteen of the 33 people who spoke at Tuesday's CMS board meeting came about one thing: a later start time for South Academy of International Languages and Sedgefield Middle in 2027-28. CMS Transportation announced it Sept. 22 as an informational item needing no board vote. Parents offered an alternative.

CMS Board Starts the Search for a New Superintendent, 6-2

A week after firing Crystal Hill, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board voted 6-2 to create a four-member search committee. The two no votes said the board should examine its own governance first. No timeline has been set.

CMS Fires Crystal Hill 5-4; Report Found No Improper Conduct

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education fired Superintendent Crystal Hill 5-4 on Tuesday without stating a cause, then released its own report finding no improper conduct by her. Here is how each of the nine members voted and what they said.

CMS Bars Solo YouTube Use in K-2, but Devices Won't Block It

CMS will bar independent YouTube use for K-2 students, but YouTube will not be technically blocked on their school devices.

CMS Brings Back Crystal Hill, Offers Few Details on Review

CMS says Crystal Hill will return as superintendent after an independent review. The board says the review found issues that still require attention, but it did not explain them at its Aug. 11 meeting.

CMS Board Won't Rubber-Stamp i-Ready, Cuts It to One Year

Charlotte-Mecklenburg's school board declined to renew i-Ready on the terms its staff requested, rejecting a multi-year, sole-source contract for a single year with conditions attached. The 7-2 vote followed sustained objections over screen time, student-data privacy, and the strength of the evidence. Staff must return in August with data, security provisions, and limits on how the vendor uses student data.

An 8th Grader Argued Against CMS's New Free Speech Policy

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted 7-2 to adopt Policy S-SFRS on student free speech. The most substantive speech about the policy came from a student who argued it would do the opposite of what it promised.

CMS Approves 99-Year Educator Housing Lease Option

CMS unanimously approved a 99-year lease option with Innovative Housing Solutions Foundation for educator housing adjacent to Garinger High School. IHSF must secure fundraising by June 2027.

Levine Middle College and Pre-K Voices Lobby CMS Board

Students from Levine Middle College and a Pre-K family advocate used Tuesday's public comment period to ask the CMS Board to protect programs they said were producing results.

CMS Approves $5.5M IBM Oracle Extension, Eyes 2028 Payroll

The Board of Education approved a $5.5 million amendment to its Oracle enterprise software contract, extending the implementation and adding hypercare support as the district works toward a full system launch in 2028.

CMS Ends $2.4M Capturing Kids' Hearts Deal, Redirects Funds

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will end its use of Capturing Kids' Hearts and redirect the program's $2.4 million budget toward classroom-based instruction and a competitive procurement process.

NC Budget Framework: Most Workers' Raises Trail Inflation

Senate Pres. Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall announced a budget framework Tuesday afternoon, ending a ten-month standoff. Teachers get an 8 percent raise and a $48,000 starting floor. Most state employees get 3 percent, below the 3.8 percent inflation rate reported the same morning. The income tax steps down through 2034, and a constitutional amendment capping the rate at 3.5 percent goes on the November ballot.

CMS Eliminates Pre-K Coaching Staff, Folds It Into K-2 Team

CMS Plans to Cut 4 Liaisons; County Not Told of New Plan

CMS's $6.6 Million Hedge May Not Cover a State Raise

CFO Kelly Kluttz told the board the district's $6.6 million salary reserve covers them to about 5 percent, but bills in Raleigh propose up to 9, the state hasn't passed a budget, and the county can't backfill after June.